The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-23
SpeCia1 Contributors.
CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND CON-
DUCT ILLUSTRATED.
BY REV. l.. NJ. ANDREWS.
Dixon. ILL.,


Dixon. ILL.,
Following is the substantial part OF
san address delivered at the recent
meeting of the Fox River Association,
at Oak Park, ILL.,:
Christ foresaw these laws of social
life in the way of Christian growth,
for society was unchristian then, pub
lie sentiment was against it, but he
earnestly prayed for the close unity OF
his chosen disciples, and that as con-
verts should be made, they should come
into this unity. Universalism has had
to meet shis same difficulty-popular
sentiment which, with almost the
mass. isrnore than principle; so that
though at heart believing our doctrines,
they turn tearfully to lower creeds
until their associates will come. L
fear these forget "That except yeffor-
sake all, if need be, ye cannot 'be my
disciplesl"
Whist we are by reason of internal
forces and outer environments Is
measured by what we do. For what
we do. shows just where we are bent
and how we are shaped, whether we
like iteor not. If we attend certain
church regularly or belong to it,
whether we privately believe its doc
trines or not, we stand for its-WFiSten
creeds. We lend our influence to that
sentiment and help create it. When
Peter stood before that mob denying
Christ, he stood in the same light that
many to-day stand in one church
when their hearts, their faiths are
in another. But mems characters are
what they represent. A character is
a SHAPED figure. A line may be twist
ed into fE, Strengthened into /, round
ed into 70; but its shape and name
determines its character, what 1t
signifies, the figure it cuts in the MAKE
up of werds. So the human spirit may
be Strengthened into a fataast or
rounded into a Christian. or twisted
or bent into almost any sort Of social
element, but still its shape determines
what it stands for, what it wial do as
such element. Hence by a converse
law we know the present shape of "a
mans character by his habitual cen
duct.
In the alphabet of society we use not
only vowels but consonants and the
latter are more than three times as
numerous as the former. In religion,
as in other things, these social conson-
ants will be Methodist, Baptist or Uni
versalist, depending upon what vowels
they are associated with. OF theua-
selves they give no definite sound or
at least none definite enough to class
,ify. But these you say are figures OF
speech: but human character is the
figure of our lie, as it now is; and
.condnct as it springs fron it is shaped
ibyit; and the aggregate of conduct is
the exhibit of the Life of the world.
Again in calculating the value Of
Sife, it may seem desirable that all our
figures be significant ones. But we
know they are not, and Uniyersalists
should no longer forget that even in
the multiplication of Christian life and
character exen cyphers count when
they are rightly placed and utilized.
Our weakness as a denomination re-
suits largely from our Ignoring the
uses of cyphers in the great law OF in
crease. Bearing in mind that we
should constantly strive to " make
Christian life more abundant" and
that conduct is the measure and fruit
age of life by which we are knG IN;
that Christian conduct can only be
multiplied as Christian life and char
acter is multiplied and enriched, we
turn to methods of this multiplication.
With the foregoing analysis of the
human character, and what molds
and shapes 1t, we have valuable hints
as to methods For since public senti-
ment, or the part of it in which our
families chiefly live and associate, so
molds and directs and bends the
forming youthful mind, as we'll as the
dependent adult, it follows that we
should use all available means to or
ganizs right sentiment and make it
public and strong enough to be con-
trolling at least Of our families and
friends. In this age while the general
public is sort of a unit, yet it lies in
many strata; and the strata our children